What is it about?
Chessboards are often placed or drawn in Han tombs, indicating that the space of the tomb is immortal. In tomb time is elastic and the space is a celestial palace. Moreover, the depiction of ancient mythological content carries the same symbolic significance. Once the dead is placed in the tomb, her/his form begins the process of refinement for immortality. Here time and space is elastic: in it one day may equals 1000years... It is prepared for the transformation of the dead into an immortal one.
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Photo by Aaron Greenwood on Unsplash
Why is it important?
It reveals the unknown 400-year religious history of the Han Empire. Enjoying the brilliant concepts and fantastic presentation effects conveyed through illustrations...
Perspectives
The religion of the Han Empire, centered on the belief of postmortem transformation for immortality, never known before. And this marked the very beginning of the early history of Daoism.
Chair-Professor Sheng Jiang
Shandong University
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This page is a summary of: Time and Space in Han Tombs, October 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004732759_003.
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